Lessons in Birding

I should have known better.  A certain area of the front yard was ice-covered and extremely dangerous to navigate.  Having taken a horrendously bad fall late last September, and two this winter, I was terrified of going down (for the count) another time.  Rationing that my birdies had plenty of other opportunities I decided to let the metal hopper feeder that hangs high in the evergreens wait until the weather warmed and the ice disappeared.   

Perhaps three or four days had passed since I had refilled it so there wasn’t much left inside.   

By chance I happened to pause at my office window the other day, and, luckily, the light was right so I could see the image clearly. Movement—what looked like fluttering—caught my eye and sent up a distress signal.  A feeling of dread came over me as I raced from the house and onto the skating rink otherwise known as my lawn. 

Offending feeder sans captive Chickadee

Creeping along in my moon boots I prayed to make it to the feeder safely.  Once at my destination, I looked up and my worst fears were confirmed. Somehow, a Chickadee had become trapped inside the feeder and was frantically struggling to free herself.

Without further thought for my safety, I raced (skated) to the garage to get my ladder. Perched precariously on a high rung I reached up and lifted the lid up then carefully titled the feeder.  In one great whoosh of wings my prisoner was emancipated from her cage. 

 

I can only surmise how this unfortunate avian ended up trapped inside a feeder with a fairly secure top.  My best guess involves, of course, gray squirrel activity.  Perhaps the pests jumped on top, dislodging the lid. ???  Makes sense.  What I can’t understand is how a bird weighing ounces then caused the weight-activated top to lock back in place.  ???  I will never know for sure what happened but I can say with certainty that it is a very bad idea to leave bird feeders unchecked for even a few days.  Strange things, indeed, can happen.